Based on practical use and recommendations.
2025 Picks#
1. QuickLook#
Use: Adds macOS-style spacebar file preview to Windows.
Overview: Select a file, press Space, and preview images, PDFs, videos, Office files, and more without opening heavy apps.
Sharp comment: Windows File Explorer badly needs “just show me first.” QuickLook is not flashy; it simply saves seconds all day.
2. frp#
Use: Reverse proxy and intranet tunneling.
Overview: Useful for exposing internal services to the public internet for remote access, dev testing, or home servers.
Sharp comment: Not everyone needs it, but people who do rarely leave it. Do not copy random configs blindly; network tools punish false confidence.
3. CrossDesk#
Use: Remote desktop and remote assistance.
Overview: Cross-platform remote control, file transfer, and maintenance for personal devices or helping family members.
Sharp comment: Remote desktop software is not about having the most buttons; it is about connecting when the moment is already annoying.
4. Affinity#
Use: Photo editing, vector design, and desktop publishing.
Overview: Affinity Photo, Designer, and Publisher target professional creative workflows as alternatives to Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.
Sharp comment: Adobe subscriptions exhausted a lot of people. Affinity is a useful reminder that creative tools do not have to collect rent every month.
5. PixPin#
Use: Screenshots, pinned images, OCR, scrolling screenshots, and annotation.
Overview: A fast Windows screenshot tool for docs, bug reports, tutorials, and temporary visual notes.
Sharp comment: A good screenshot app becomes muscle memory. PixPin turns “capture it” into “capture and finish the thought.”
6. UniGetUI#
Use: Graphical Windows package management.
Overview: Brings Winget, Chocolatey, Scoop, and other package managers into one interface for installing, updating, and uninstalling apps.
Sharp comment: CLI package managers are elegant, but not everyone wants command trivia. UniGetUI makes Windows app maintenance less scattered.
7. Win11Debloat#
Use: Cleans up Windows 11 apps, ads, recommendations, and unwanted defaults.
Overview: Scripted cleanup for widgets, OneDrive, Copilot, telemetry, promoted apps, and other system distractions.
Sharp comment: It targets the most Windows thing about Windows: the OS keeps trying to decide for you. Read the options before you remove something you actually use.
2024 Picks#
1. Everything#
Use: Instant local file search.
Overview: Indexes filenames and finds files across Windows drives almost instantly.
Sharp comment: Windows Search often feels like it is remembering its childhood. Everything makes the built-in search look awkward.
2. LocalSend#
Use: Local network file transfer.
Overview: Open-source, cross-platform transfer between Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS without cloud accounts.
Sharp comment: Sending a file should not require three logins. LocalSend is plain, and that is exactly why it works.
3. Syncthing#
Use: Decentralized file sync.
Overview: Syncs files directly between your devices without routing everything through a third-party cloud.
Sharp comment: It is not trying to charm beginners; it is trying to respect clear trust boundaries.
4. LM Studio#
Use: Run large language models locally.
Overview: Provides a desktop UI for downloading, running, and testing local models, plus a local API for workflows.
Sharp comment: It moves local AI from the lab to the desktop. Your GPU and RAM will then provide the reality check.
5. AltSnap#
Use: Better window dragging, resizing, and management.
Overview: Hold a shortcut and drag or resize windows from almost anywhere, useful on large displays and multi-window setups.
Sharp comment: Tiny tool, immediate habit. Window borders should not be as hard to catch as a needle edge.
6. Notepad4#
Use: Lightweight text editing.
Overview: A Notepad2/Notepad3-style enhanced editor with syntax highlighting, encoding handling, and fast plain-text editing.
Sharp comment: Not every text file deserves VS Code. Notepad4 opens fast, edits fast, and gets out of the way.
7. STranslate#
Use: Translation, OCR, selected-text translation, and screenshot translation.
Overview: A practical Windows translation tool for foreign webpages, documents, app interfaces, and image text.
Sharp comment: Translation tools should not break reading flow. STranslate stays close enough to your hand to be useful.
Note#
This site has no affiliation with Apple Inc. Soter is a Greek word meaning “deliverer.”